WWF Superstars of Wrestling – July 6th, 1991

July 6, 1991

From the Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA

Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage. Piper yells at Savage to go and propose to Elizabeth today.

This week, a very special interview with Miss Elizabeth. Also, our featured match is Bret Hart vs. Haku. Others in action are Jake Rockers, The Undertaker, and The Rockers!

The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Rob Allen

Vince says Elizabeth looks special, like some anticipating a certain question. Undertaker beats down Allen as Savage gets teased about asking Elizabeth to marry him. We then hear from Bearer in an insert promo promising the Ultimate Warrior will know what it means to be “down and dirty.” Undertaker hits a side slam then puts Allen away with a Tombstone (1:57). After the match, Allen gets stuffed inside of a bodybag.

Thoughts: Besides hyping up the Undertaker/Warrior stuff we got more playful teasing of Savage by the announcers.

An ad for SummerSlam airs.

Gene Okerlund now welcomes Miss Elizabeth to the ring. Vince and Piper fawn all over her as Savage jokes that Okerlund doesn’t look bad himself. Okerlund asks Elizabeth about the rumors of wedding bells in her future. Elizabeth says she does not know if that is the case. Okerlund then asks her how she feels about the institution of marriage as Elizabeth feels it is the sacred bond between a man and a woman. Elizabeth is then asked how she feels about Savage and says that he is “macho” as well as warm, caring, and affectionate. Elizabeth also surprises us by saying he is a “tender” person then points at Savage and says she “loves that man.” Savage now heads down to the ring. He tells Okerlund he’s been thinking about returning to the ring. Vince and Piper want him to think about Elizabeth as Savage says he wants to return to the ring at SummerSlam. Okerlund reminds Savage that his career has ended but Savage yells at him then has something to say to the people around the world and to Elizabeth. Savage addresses Elizabeth first and after some stalling says that he loves her then pulls out a ring as Vince is in all his glory. Savage then gets on his knees and asks Elizabeth to marry him. Elizabeth then takes her time as the camera zooms in on the ring. Elizabeth then responds with “ohhhh yeah” as the announcer are going crazy with Piper talking about having a bachelor party. Okerlund then calls Savage and Elizabeth a “match made in heaven” as Savage parades his now fiance around on his shoulders. This is the first thing announced for SummerSlam. Having a PPV revolve around a wedding is a wrestling first. Anyway, the weeks leading up to this moment made for quality TV and some fun announcing. Good job here from the WWF.

The Beverly Brothers w/ Coach vs. Scott Key & David Bazo

Savage is not on commentary and would not be for the rest of the show. The Beverly Brothers are shown in an insert promo with Coach, who calls them the future champions. Beau beats on Bazo to start. Blake and Key are in now as Blake drives Key into the corner. The Beverly Brothers stay in control until they hit a flapjack/head spike combo (2:01).

Thoughts: The Coach was just awful and the Beverly Brothers do not have any sort of gimmick so no one cares. They were just thrown on TV and we are supposed to hate them because of their annoying manager.

Greg Valentine shills WWF Superstars Ice Cream Bars. He “hammers” one down. Lord know what else he hammered down prior to filming.

Jake Roberts defeats Louie Spicolli in a match first shown on the 7/1 edition of “Prime Time Wrestling.”

The Natural Disasters say that Sid Justice could easily become a Natural Disaster with Typhoon saying he could be a “volcano.” However, Virgil says Sid Justice could erupt in the Natural Disasters face but is a good dude. Once again they are having us guess whether or not Sid will be face or heel.

The Mountie defeats Bob Jones in a match first shown on the 7/1 edition of “Prime Time Wrestling.”

Haku vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Haku is wearing basic black trunks. Vince wants to know about what the fans attending SummerSlam will have to say about Savage getting married to Elizabeth. Bret takes Haku down with an arm drag them continues to work the arm. Haku catches a crossbody attempt and turns that into a backbreaker for a two count. Haku stomps the back then catches Bret with a knee smash. Haku misses an elbow drop from the middle rope then Bret comes back and uses a crucifix for the win (2:51) *. The crowd popped big for this win.

Thoughts: They were playing up Bret’s win almost like it was an upset despite the fact Haku has been losing regularly for the past year. This ended up being Haku’s final appearance on syndicated TV for this era as he was exclusive to Japan for the next couple of years. He did return for the 1992 Royal Rumble though.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. We learn that besides the Savage/Elizabeth wedding at SummerSlam, we will have a “match made in Hell” with Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt Slaughter, Gen. Adnan, and Col Mustafa in a Handicap Match. Also, a special guest referee will be named at a later date. Man, that handicap match is a weak PPV main event. Slaughter’s stock has dropped since losing the title and Adnan & Mustafa do nothing but drag him down. And Warrior & Hogan together seems random especially since Warrior was in a hot feud with the Undertaker. I’ll get into that more as we get closer to the PPV.

The Rockers defeat Tim Patterson & Brooklyn Brawler in a match first shown on the 7/1 edition of “Prime Time Wrestling.”

We are shown the debut vignette for Skinner. He is in the Everglades and tells us the difference between skinning a gator and a WWF Superstar alive is that a gator does not make as much noise. Skinner laughs and holds his knife while saying this. Skinner is portrayed by Steve Keirn. I thought Keirn did fine with the character for this vignette but as far as the character’s potential, I didnt see much.

Sgt. Slaughter w/ Gen Adnan & Col. Mustafa vs. Jim Gorman

The camera zoomed in on a kid wearing a Sgt. Slaughter shirt, a weird thing to do for a guy portrayed as a heel. Or is there reason behind this? Slaughter beats on Gorman and says he will do this to Hogan and Warrior at SummerSlam. Slaughter puts Gorman away with a Camel’s Clutch then all three men beat on Gorman (1:28). We also saw one of the worst double clotheslines in wrestling history from Slaughter and the embarrassing Col. Mustafa.

Thoughts: This is an attempt to get over the “Triangle of Terror” but they are just simply not perceived as a major threat by the fans.

In action next week are Ted DiBiase, Jim Duggan, Mr. Perfect, and the Natural Disasters. Plus, Legion of Doom as guests on the “Funeral Parlor” and more.

Final Thoughts: The big news is that the SummerSlam main event matches have been named. Now in the coming weeks we will see what else will happen on the rest of the card. The Savage/Elizabeth segment was really good and worth checking out. Also, the debut vignette for Skinner and we even got a featured match although it was brief. Anyway, the Road to SummerSlam has officially started as the show is just several weeks away.